Since the Special General Meeting lots has been going on and we feel that we are making real progress with the project.

Board Directors Alistair and Barry wanted to give you an update about what has been keeping the Directors busy.

Reed Watts was chosen as the Dorchester Area Community Land Trust’s preferred architects for the Trust’s first project namely the provision of 20 affordable housing units for young Dorchester workers on the site of the tennis courts opposite the Borough Gardens at the bottom of West Walks. Reed Watts invited Directors of the DACLT to spend the day looking at the developments undertaken by the architects.

Matt Reed met us at Waterloo station and it was only a ten minute walk to the recently completed block of 30 “Pocket Living” flats in Sail Street. We were able to inspect one of the flats which, like all the others in the building, only occupies 38 square metres. The flat was more than spacious enough to contain a main living area and kitchen area, a bedroom with a double bed, a wet room with shower, toilet and hand basin, a built-in storage cupboard with connections for a washing machine and a small hallway. For more details of our visit please read Andy’s recent blog!

The “Pocket Living” model is a fine example of thoughtful design which could easily be incorporated into the Trust’s first project.

Thoughts on Construction

We then went on to Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre where Reed Watts designed a new Rehearsal Studio and other facilities on a very challenging site. Construction is well under way and we were impressed to see how modern technology had allowed building of the base footprint to come within three feet of a mature tree without damage to either the tree or its root system. Trees are a very important feature of the tennis court site – they are also very important in Royal Parks !

Director’s of the DACLT were invited by the Architects ReedWatts to visit the ‘Pocket Living’ flats in Sail Street, London. This was an opportunity for the Directors to get a feel for the type of accommodation that it would be possible to provide in Dorchester.

Andy wrote about the visit and provides a description of the flats along with some important questions that the Board must now consider!

DACLT Visit to “Pocket Flats” in Sail Street, Waterloo

We visited the development at 8 Sail Street SE1, where there are 30 new one-bedroom flats over five floors, with lift and small roof garden. Each deck has a small communal cycle store area. Letter boxes are at ground floor level inside the main front door.

The ground floor at street level is also used for flats with doors direct to the pavement though set back from it by about a metre or so with occasional vertical posts to delineate the edge of the development.

The flats are all similar and 38 m2 in size.

The front door is off a common walkway which runs along the west side of the building. This provides partial screening from the road and railway. The walkway is only accessed through two secure doors with key fobs. The communal areas are cleaned and maintained by the management company ~ presumably at some charge to the residents.

The Flat

Inside, the flat all is painted white, ceilings are high and doors are large – wheel chair accessible?

Each flat has three windows – one small in the kitchen at high level onto the walkway, (presumably for ventilation), one large multiple-way opening window in the bedroom and one very large window with Juliet balcony in the east-facing living area. There is a good deal of light.

The bedroom is comfortably big enough for a double bed and a small amount of furniture. The three photos start with looking back towards the front door – the bathroom is effectively behind the hanging space and living area to the right. The other pictures show the bed, desk and window.

Please find the minutes from the most recent Dorchester Area CLT board meeting below. These minutes have yet to be adopted and will be agreed at the next board meeting. The next meeting is being held immediately after the Special General Meeting (SGM) on Wednesday 10th January.

Dorchester Area Community Land Trust (DACLT) held its first public meeting, as a fully formed CLT, on Wednesday 8th November. It was a fantastic evening where the public could learn about what we had been up to for the past year.

Alistair Chisolm showing the site of the new project

What We Talked About

We discussed the formation of DACLT and our progress since the last public meeting in November 2016. This was a brilliant opportunity to introduce our board members to the public and discuss our ambitions for DACLT. The current focus of DACLT is a housing project which will be using land provided by Dorchester Town Council.

Welcome to the Dorchester Area Community Land Trust (DACLT) website. We are a not-for-profit organisation and we are currently working on a project which will provide affordable housing for young people in Dorchester.

We have had enough of seeing young people priced out of the communities they grew up in, scrimping together enough for a huge deposit while paying sky-high rents. DACLT will provide more options for young people when it comes to home ownership and these properties will remain affordable because this development is firmly in the hands of the community.

Take a look around our website to find out more about our housing project and our plans for Dorchester and the community.

We are always welcoming new members. If you would like to become a member of Dorchester’s first CLT please email membership@daclt.org.uk

Welcome to the Dorchester Area Community Land Trust (DACLT) website. We are a not-for-profit organisation. A new project is coming soon to Dorchester and will provide affordable housing for young people.

We are working very hard to get this project off the ground and more information and exciting news is coming soon! Please visit us again in the near future.

This site is under construction.

For more information about Community Land Trusts please visit the dorsetforyou webpages here